Out of this World Photos - Broadway

Let’s face it, the world of theatre, at times, can be misogynistic. Even though we joke about the multitude of gay men that are involved in theatre, that does not mean it is exempt from the repercussions of “the patriarchy”. As a gay man myself, I understand this problem all too well, but here in Dayton, we have luckily had some incredibly impactful pieces that were not only led by women, but speak upon the experiences of womanhood.

REVIEW: Guest Reviewer Kym Vaitiekus Shares His Thoughts On THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW

DREAMING OF LEAR is a brilliant, memorable piece of leading-edge experimental theater. Its director, Lucy Cashion, has, I think, the most refreshing brain in the St. Louis theater world.  It’s been a decade since she appeared on my horizon, and in that time she’s led a number of exciting productions.  She joined the SLU faculty and has recently become Director of the school’s Theatre & Dance Program—a position which is virtually (and was perhaps literally) “made for her”. 

MY FAIR LADY rolled into town this week, treating Austin to a classic musical of old. And by “of old” I mean lavish costuming, soaring vocals, a beautiful choral ensemble and lush orchestrations performed by a full orchestra. What a treat! In case you missed it over the last 67 years, the musical tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from Professor Henry Higgins, a phonetics professor, so that she might transform into a refined lady. The musical is based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play 'Pygmalion,' with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. 

What did our critic think of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW at Burlington County Footlighters?

ELVIS - A MUSICAL REVOLUTION is an enlightening and entertaining new bio-musical about the late Elvis Presley.

Director Kip Williams delivers a captivating production of Tommy Murphy’s adaptation Nevil Shute’s 1957 novel ON THE BEACH.

Flying Over Sunset follows writer Aldous Huxley (played by Harry Hadden-Paton); playwright, diplomat, and congresswoman, Clare Boothe Luce (Carmen Cusack); and film legend Cary Grant (Tony Yazbeck) - each of whom in real life experimented with the drug LSD.

Directed and choreographed by Broadway veteran, Stephanie Pope Lofgren (Pippin, Chicago), the electrifying musical celebration of 1950’s Rock n’ Roll began performances Thursday, September 30, 2021 and continues through Sunday, October 24, 2021 at ACT of CT (36 Old Quarry Road, Ridgefield, CT 06877).

Leon Kobrin's rediscovered 1912 play BREACH OF PROMISE, a darkly comic slice of tenement life in New York City, was presented Wednesday evening, July 31st at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in a newly commissioned English translation (from the original Yiddish) by writer/director Allen Lewis Rickman.

I have visited Laguna Beach for several consecutive summers, enjoying the vibrant arts scene by spending a full day wandering through THE SAWDUST FESTIVAL, THE LAGUNA ART A-FAIR, FESTIVAL OF ARTS and PAGEANT OF THE MASTERS, with all sites, including the Laguna Playhouse, within walking distance of each on the main street into the city. The beautiful coastal city has so much to offer in the way of fine dining, art galleries, shopping, theatre, beach activities, all accessible via a free shuttle service, it would easily make for a wonderful week-long family vacation site or a jam-packed day of celebrating the arts.

This Tampa Bay professional theatre premiere is now playing through April 14. Crumbs from the Table of Joy stars Alicia Thomas (Ernestine), Rae Davis (Ermina), and Michael J. Kinsey (Godfrey) as the Crump family. This break out play of two-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Lynn Nottage (Sweat, Ruined) is the coming of age story of a young African American girl whose family is finding their way through 1950's Brooklyn, as she teeters between filtering her life experiences through the fantasy of movies and learning the real poetry and pain of the world. Crumbs from the Table of Joy also stars freeFall favorites Trenell Mooring (freeFall's Our Town and The Little Prince) and Emilee Dupre (Broadway's Chaplin and freeFall's smash hit Cabaret.

Below, check out more photos of Gillian Anderson and Lily James in the world premiere of Ivo van Hove's highly anticipated stage adaptation of the 1950 Twentieth Century Fox film All About Eve.

The musical is a send-up of the cult classic movie and other sci-fi films and TV shows of the 1950s, melded with plot elements from "The Tempest" along with dialogue bits from multiple Shakespeare plays. That was part of the fun for me, catching so many Shakespearean quotes perfectly placed in the dialogue of Bob Carlton's musical set on a spaceship sometime in the future, featuring a galaxy of 1950's and 1960's rock and roll classics including "Wipeout," "Good Vibrations," "Great Balls of Fire," "All Shook Up," "Monster Mash" and "We Gotta Get Out of this Place." And what an outrageously fabulous band under the musical direction of Trevor Wheetman and Omar D. Brancato, both of whom rocked the house on guitars while believably playing Ensign crew members onstage.

Red Bull Theater (Jesse Berger, Founder and Artistic Director | Jim Bredeson, Managing Director) presents the New York Premiere of David Ives's The Metromaniacs, adapted from Alexis Piron's La Metromanie and directed by Michael Kahn opening Sundayevening (7pm). Previews now!

The heartbreaking story of dreams not turning out as expected plays out in Little Triangle's beautiful presentation of Stephen Sondheim's MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. 

The Dolores Mission School is a grade school (K-8) committed to serving low-income families in Los Angeles. Together with the family, we strive to educate the whole child, academically, spiritually, physically, and morally, in a nurturing environment. The students and their families are part of a larger community with a rich cultural identity. The goal is to empower the children to rise out of poverty by becoming educated leaders in their community, 'women and men for and with others.'

Women in business in the 1950's--not the easiest row to hoe.

After working in the Warner Brothers Manhattan office mailroom, Playwright Neil Simon got his first big break as a staff writer on Sid Caesar's celebrated television series 'Your Show of Shows,' a live 90-minute variety show starring comedy legends Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca that ran from 1950 to 1954. The writing staff had a staggering talent pool that included; Mel Tolkin (All in the Family), Carl Reiner (Dick Van Dyke Show, The Jerk), Mel Brooks (Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, Space Balls), Michael Stewart (Bye Bye Birdie, Hello Dolly!), Joseph Stein (Fiddler on the Roof), Lucille Kallen (worked on Broadway), Danny Simon (The Carol Burnett Show, Diff'rent Strokes) and his brother Neil Simon (The Odd Couple, Murder by Death). As a way of sharing his own experience working as the 'new kid' learning the ropes from the other, more experienced writers, Neil Simon wrote the outrageous comedy LAUGHTER ON THE 23rd FLOOR, now brilliantly staged at Little Fish Theatre in San Pedro through May 20.

As an event organizer, I always feel like it's important that I organize the types of events that I see myself going to. If I can't personally see myself attending or spending money to see my own performances then how can I expect other people who don't know me to do the same. What that means for me as a classically-based musician is that I always try to redefine not only how I present the music to audiences but also how I determine what constitutes meaningful and significant repertoire worthy of performance. That's why at many of Driftwood's performances you'll hear music by video game and film composers such as Nobuo Uematsu or Joe Hisaishi alongside works by Mahler or William Grant Still. It's very important to me that we always treat the music with the same due level of care and interpretation whether we're playing an arrangement of Fake Love by Drake or Handel's Water Music. We take the same approach with our collaborations as well. We've played soundtracks to live films, performed with jazz rhythm sections, and performed music that's paired with poetry and spoken word.

The capsule judgement of my review of the Broadway production of The Bridges of Madison County stated, 'The Bridges of Madison County' is one of those special, intimate, meaningful, well-conceived and performed shows that deserved a longer shelf-life than it is getting.'

Capturing the not too distant past of 1950's Sydney, the heart-warming coming of age story of a young, intelligent woman comes to life with fabulous songs and fantastic fashion in LADIES IN BLACK.

Philadelphia chanteuse Julie Charnet brings her blend of jazz and swing to the Ethical Society of Philadelphia and other venues.

Opera Australia's interpretation of Sergei Prokofief's THE LOVE FOR THREE ORANGES returns to delight and entrance Sydney audiences. An explosion of colour, light, and fabulous physicality, this work breaks the mould of traditional opera with animated, accessible music and clever lyrics.

On January 21, guests gathered at Drury Lane Theatre for the Opening Night of their newest production, Bye Bye Birdie, directed and choreographed by Tammy Mader. With a cast led by Michelle Aravena as Rosie, Matt Crowle as Conrad's agent, Albert, and Jason Michael Evans as Conrad Birdie, audiences were treated to a throwback of the classic 1950's musical, brought to life again by this energetic and lively ensemble of 31. Check out photos from opening night, below!